Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Krapopolis is a hilarious, animated Greek mythology-themed adult comedy by co-creator of “Rick and Morty” Dan Harmon (“Community”). It is easy to identify this show as a product of Harmon’s mind with the scattered witty humor and dark themes painted over with light tones that will make you do a double take. Apart from the others, this series spares the easily queasy from gory details while allowing for bloody depictions with its simplistic cartoon style. Set in Ancient Greece, Richard Ayoade (“Soul”) takes on the role of Tyrannis, a demigod who talked his way into the throne of an empire dealing with his goddess mother, Deliria, the goddess of self-destruction and questionable choices voiced by Hannah Waddingham (“Ted Lasso”). Deliria now wants to be worshiped and adored by not only the townspeople but also her fellow gods who sit atop Mount Olympus. Alongside Matt Berry (“Disenchantment”), Pam Murphy (“Monsters University”) and Duncan Trussel (“The Midnight Gospel”), this show holds up as Greek mythology and animated adult comedies are a hard pair to make stick. 

After smooth-talking his way to the top, Tyrannis faces the struggles of trying to hold together all the unfortunate events unfolding before him. With his mother needing validation from her once-loyal followers and wanting to upstage the goddess Athena, he uses all his mortal power to block her attempts of possibly causing war on his lands over a rivalry and unnecessary want for a grand temple to be worshiped in. In the midst of that, Tyrannis also struggles to keep his manitaur–half centaur, half manticore–father, Shlub (Berry) from being too inappropriate and also has to keep his half-siblings at bay with their attempts to create war because of their concerns that Tyrannis is not fit to be a ruler. 

The series plays off the twisted historical events to portray the figures from Greek mythology as morally corrupt. Sarcasm plays a big role alongside irony in the light-hearted depictions that add a little corniness to the comedy; such as characters “inventing” concepts we use today–examples like the wave, half-time shows, and sarcastic sports commentary. It is easy to find this show entertaining while also being able to identify relatable aspects that many face: recurring themes of how overbearing a mother can be, the effect of unattentive fathers, and the struggle of having siblings treat you differently based on differing paternal histories are all things that make it into such an enjoyable show. 

What did not set this show apart from other of Harmon’s works is the overgeneralization of characters reflected in their mannerisms and speech. All but one of the characters seems to have a dynamic personality that will learn and change as the series progresses, but the others seem to be flat and lack depth. No show is likely to be complete without a main character full of hubris learning a valuable lesson from their mistakes. It is something we want to see with all the characters. To say that the show was minorly underwhelming despite the exciting themes comes with no surprise from the lack of promotion and excitement from the crew. 

The show’s attention to detail in its subplots being carefully planned out to perfectly connect back to the main plot is something that this television show excels in. Though it is not the next “Family Guy,” the appropriately-timed raunchy aspects and carefully thought-out jokes shine a light on the great potential of this series. 

Image from Fox Studios via Krapopolis.com